One committee of Illinois lawmakers voted for more than 1,400 bills in less than three minutes.

And just like that, hundreds of what are commonly called “shell bills” were simultaneously passed from committee last Wednesday. These bills typically don’t do anything more serious than send $5 to a random government agency. Once they’re in place, they can be changed to do anything and be passed in a matter of hours, with little or no public scrutiny.

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That’s exactly the stunt they pulled with the Laborers pension bill in the last session, which is why it was such a bear to find. They took one that was supposedly for teachers pensions and stripped out all but the first paragraph. I’m sure this whole thing is a coincidence.